Karen and I did not manage to get to bed until 3.30am this morning and we woke up at 7.15am, rather bleary eyed and dreading the bus journey to Hoi An. A few of our group went to a bar after dinner and when we returned to our hotel in Hue, Karen and I decided that we would go back to the bar to carry on the party. We chatted to an Irish guy and a couple of Aussie guys who were touring around Vietnam for a couple of weeks as they were having a mid life crisis and had left their obedient wives at home! They were very generous with their drinks but even in my drunken state I whipped them at pool wth my hustling skills. The guys (including the guys from our group when I played them earlier in the evening) were a bit embarrassed losing to a girl. Karen said that I was very entertaining though, as I was determined to show them my new Tai Chi skills which Tam had shown us earlier in the day on the motorbike tour. Apparently I was very good at it, which may give me the incentive to take it up myself (good for the body and the soul).
I only had a minor hangover today, which I was quite pleased about. We have been quite restrained since the tour started, probably because the early starts and long travelling days would have been hell feeling rough. On the way to Hoi An (a 4 hour bus journey), we drove through a mountain pass and arrived in glorious sunshine and a feeling of complete euphoria. We all cheered and peeled off the various layers we had been wearing since arriving in Vietnam. My arms have finally seen the light.
Just before Hoi An we went to Ngu Hanh Son or Marble Mountains whch are 9km from the central DaNang city. It is a famous sightseeing spot which is on the list of Vietnamese National Cultual Sites. There are five mountains named: Kim Son (Metal Mountain), Moc Son (Wood Mountain), Thuy Son (Water Mountain), Hoa Son (Fire Mountain) and Tho Son (Earth Mountain). On one of the mountains we went to see the Huyen Vi caves and the Quan The Am pagoda, which is set on the Coco river. In the caves, buddhas and small temple buildings have been carved out of stone (see photos) and monks live in/use the temples and the pagoda (see photos).
Hoi An was originally known as the Fai Fo area, was founded as a port in the 15th century and was established as a trading centre dealing with merchants from China, Japan, Holland, France and Portugal. The town remained a very flourishing and busy port until the 19th century, at which time it was eclipsed by nearby Danang as a centre of commerce. The town was renamed Hoi An in 1954 and in 1999 it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hoi An is renowned for its numerous tailors and is shoppers' heaven. The streets are lined with tailors' shops but it gets a bit annoying whenwomen chase you up the street to ask you to have something made from them, on the basis that it is Tet and a purchase is good for business for the remainder of the year (hmmm, it's a shame I am not a more sympathetic soul). I am having a couple of dresses, a pair of trousers, a top and a dressing gown made. I know I can make them myself with my own sewing machine and the hundreds of patterns I have got back at home, but it is cheap and I can't do the embroidery myself. It is also much better to let someone sew sequins and beads on a dress than strain my own eyesight to do it.
There are also a number of art shops selling lacquer art (for which Vietnam is renowned) and oil paintings. I bought some nice watercolour prints in Hanoi but I have not seen anything similar here. My first impressions are that Hanoi is much more of a shopping mecca, although what you can buy in Hoi An is a bit more upmarket and it has the best fruit and vegetable market I have ever seen. Still, being the shopaholic that I am, I am sure that the pile of souvenirs will grow. I think I now have more luggage with me than when I set off from England. I hope there is enough room on the liveaboard when I get to the Maldives.
Tomorrow I am doing a Vietnamese cookery course where we will cook four dishes. I am looking forward to it, although I prefer Thai food, as it is much spicier. I am sure a few stray chillies will find their way into the frying pan. One thing I am pleased about though is that the tailor took my measurements and I dont' appear to have gained any inches. I needn't have worried so much about my expanding waistline after all. Specialities in Hoi An include Cao Lau, rice flour noodles with bean sprouts, pork bits and a light sauce and Banh Bao (White Rose), a seafood dumpling with crunchy onion topping. I tried them at lunchtime and they were very tasty (athough we won't be making any of those on the course).
I only had a minor hangover today, which I was quite pleased about. We have been quite restrained since the tour started, probably because the early starts and long travelling days would have been hell feeling rough. On the way to Hoi An (a 4 hour bus journey), we drove through a mountain pass and arrived in glorious sunshine and a feeling of complete euphoria. We all cheered and peeled off the various layers we had been wearing since arriving in Vietnam. My arms have finally seen the light.
Just before Hoi An we went to Ngu Hanh Son or Marble Mountains whch are 9km from the central DaNang city. It is a famous sightseeing spot which is on the list of Vietnamese National Cultual Sites. There are five mountains named: Kim Son (Metal Mountain), Moc Son (Wood Mountain), Thuy Son (Water Mountain), Hoa Son (Fire Mountain) and Tho Son (Earth Mountain). On one of the mountains we went to see the Huyen Vi caves and the Quan The Am pagoda, which is set on the Coco river. In the caves, buddhas and small temple buildings have been carved out of stone (see photos) and monks live in/use the temples and the pagoda (see photos).
Hoi An was originally known as the Fai Fo area, was founded as a port in the 15th century and was established as a trading centre dealing with merchants from China, Japan, Holland, France and Portugal. The town remained a very flourishing and busy port until the 19th century, at which time it was eclipsed by nearby Danang as a centre of commerce. The town was renamed Hoi An in 1954 and in 1999 it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hoi An is renowned for its numerous tailors and is shoppers' heaven. The streets are lined with tailors' shops but it gets a bit annoying whenwomen chase you up the street to ask you to have something made from them, on the basis that it is Tet and a purchase is good for business for the remainder of the year (hmmm, it's a shame I am not a more sympathetic soul). I am having a couple of dresses, a pair of trousers, a top and a dressing gown made. I know I can make them myself with my own sewing machine and the hundreds of patterns I have got back at home, but it is cheap and I can't do the embroidery myself. It is also much better to let someone sew sequins and beads on a dress than strain my own eyesight to do it.
There are also a number of art shops selling lacquer art (for which Vietnam is renowned) and oil paintings. I bought some nice watercolour prints in Hanoi but I have not seen anything similar here. My first impressions are that Hanoi is much more of a shopping mecca, although what you can buy in Hoi An is a bit more upmarket and it has the best fruit and vegetable market I have ever seen. Still, being the shopaholic that I am, I am sure that the pile of souvenirs will grow. I think I now have more luggage with me than when I set off from England. I hope there is enough room on the liveaboard when I get to the Maldives.
Tomorrow I am doing a Vietnamese cookery course where we will cook four dishes. I am looking forward to it, although I prefer Thai food, as it is much spicier. I am sure a few stray chillies will find their way into the frying pan. One thing I am pleased about though is that the tailor took my measurements and I dont' appear to have gained any inches. I needn't have worried so much about my expanding waistline after all. Specialities in Hoi An include Cao Lau, rice flour noodles with bean sprouts, pork bits and a light sauce and Banh Bao (White Rose), a seafood dumpling with crunchy onion topping. I tried them at lunchtime and they were very tasty (athough we won't be making any of those on the course).
1 comment:
Aren't you lucky to have a father who passed on his athletic skills and a mother who passed on her shopping genes!
Post a Comment